Twelve Tone Rendezvous[Rio, Shaoling]

Rio had become something of a curious spirit, exploring her surroundings in the Soul Society. The Seireitei had been her location of choice, considering the people she had met so far. Thus, it may have seemed something of a mystery as to why she chose to travel to this particular location on earth. The last time she'd visited was seeing Yugiri in Italy. Was that who she intended to cross paths with again? Perhaps, but Rio didn't get the sense she'd be here of all places.

Maybe it was an odd whim. Another act coinciding with a carefree desire to expand the horizons. Speaking of horizons, there did seem to be a city on the horizon if she walked further. It wasn't entirely the middle of nowhere. Yet there didn't appear to be anyone in close proximity either. Her travels so far had told her one thing at least.

There was a lot of sand here. Her travels had told her another thing. Such a wide expanse of sand seemed to invite the presence of hollows, a group following at her from behind. Perhaps, it was her presence that invited them that had to be it. Each of them lunged at her aggressively, taking her relaxed stance as a sign of weakness. That would prove to be their undoing. Several strikes were employed to counter and subdue them in short order. Gazing around for the presence of anyone else, Rio would keep walking forward.

During Rio's trek through the ruined city, a familiar voice called out to her. It was a voice she hadn't expected to hear today. Was it an illusion? No, of course not. The hollow she interacted with were meager creatures, none possessing abilities that would throw off her senses. Turning her head to face the woman on the rock, golden eyes blinked softly as if they had seen a ghost. Shaoling...?

A voice and posture that could not be mistaken for any other, a stern expression that rendered her speechless for a moment. It wasn't out of a sense of intimidation, she didn't feel as if she were a kid who had been caught by a disciplinary parent. No, this was more akin to shock.

After all, Rio had not yet visited anyone who knew about Shaoling's whereabouts. She was never filled in on that. She had always assumed the woman stepped down and retired, to go off elsewhere but this place? Well, it wasn't particularly the first location she'd expected to see her.

"True. However, this is the last place I would have expected to see you as well, Shaoling."

Indeed, Rio had no particular idea what type of place a woman as stern as her would retire. Shaoling was a staunchly loyal woman who served as their retainer for years, a remarkable legend in the history of the Gotei. She never imagined her to be anywhere else but the Soul Society. She had a lot of questions, but didn't expect to receive many answers. This woman never did strike her as the type to divulge much, not without great reason at least.

Training grounds? Golden eyes glanced towards the ruined city around her. She supposed that statement held up quite well. One could effectively train as freely as they desired. There was little to impede someone in a wasteland. Few wandered out here. Traveling around a place like this was an empty experience. She chose the experience, of course. Eager as she was to expand her horizons, Rio concluded that she ought to choose her locations wisely. Shaoling's presence here would likely be the only thing to keep her here at the moment, and even then, she had no idea if the woman would stay or tell her to go home.

"It is, though less so considering you train here. I'm in no position to judge, though. I thought of wandering out here on a whim but I realize how foolish that decision was, in retrospect. Outside of training, there is little one could feasibly do here."

Rio sighed softly, gazing up at the woman on the building, expecting a comment or two about how foolish that was. The Rio of the past would've felt ashamed to admit her mistakes. She was still surprised to see her, regardless of location. She never thought they'd cross paths again. They hadn't exactly been all that close, and Rio had no idea why the woman stepped down in the first place, from her position as a retainer and a member of the Gotei. She was not the most personable woman, and she didn't expect much conversation, yet neither would she step down from speaking her thoughts.

"Apart from this mishap, I've been outside the Seiretei far more often in the present days. I recently met up with Yugiri in Italy, for example. I'd like to see her again, but it can be difficult to reach her. Not much of the type to stay in one place, you know? Anyway, even if I exclude the wastelands, I never thought I'd see you again at all."

Rio nodded her head, as though agreeing with the woman, though somewhat internally, she expected something far more sharp than short-sighted. In truth, that line of thought was based on her mental impression of Shaoling. To Rio, she seemed no-nonsense - precisely the type of woman who wouldn't hold her tongue if someone made a foolish decision.

Of course, appearances were deceiving, and much like her progressive turn with whimsically wandering in search of something to occupy her time, it was reasonable to assume Shaoling had evolved in her own way. The Shihoin woman curiously gazed up at her. To be honest, while word did get around, Rio had never truly been all that familiar with Shaoling.

Whether that was the result of her focusing on her family or being too young to approach her was another matter entirely. Nonetheless, she still thought of the woman fondly, respecting her achievements as she would to any past member of the Gotei. To know she still visited to any degree was equally surprising as seeing her here.

"I suppose that does make sense. I don't think casual visitation is something you find appealing. Although, I'm slightly curious. Has all of your days here been typically spent training in the wastelands? Training grounds... I certainly understand. Plenty of open space allowing for ideal movement and freedom... but, do you talk to anybody here on earth?"

Rio was none the wiser to her involvement with Yugiri or the individuals she'd taken under her wing as a student. She often treated her earth visits like a trip. She had humored the thought of treating this realm as her one true home, but never wholly committed to it. Truth be told, with recent events, she wasn't entirely sure she ever would. Even so... it was worth posing the question.

"Now, that's a surprise. Kisuke is the last person I would've imagined, but then again, I never did know much about him outside of the history he left behind in the Soul Society. Come to think of it, I don't think I've met him in person yet, either..."

Shaoling's answers had caused Rio to raise a curious eyebrow. She was familiar with Kisuke Urahara in name and history only. She knew he shared some form of connection with her aunt, but that was as far as her knowledge went with him on a personal level. As a sheltered noblewoman who rarely ventured out half as much as her older sister, Rio had no particular reason to meet him back then, but crossing paths with him now seemed quite likely, especially if she followed through with her desire to enlist in the Gotei.

Each answer only seemed to fill her mind with more curiosity, though she quickly restrained herself from posing any more than the woman might be willing to ask. For young shinigami to pursue her here, Rio wondered how much of Shaoling's whereabouts was public knowledge in Soul Society, or if they simply chanced upon her through purging hollows. The latter, arguably, felt more viable than the former. The shihoin woman already felt a tinge of embarassment in being caught here under the premise of wandering around in search of... yeah.

"Now, that's interesting. With your skill and approach, I don't doubt that those students of yours will develop into fine group of fighters. I attempted to be a teacher myself recently, but it didn't quite work out. There are those suited to teaching and those who still have much to learn. I fall into the second category, admittedly. Though I wonder..."

Rio stroked her chin, an idea slowly forming in her head. She wasn't entirely sure what answer she would receive, but the Shihoin had no desire to return home without making something of the day. It'd leave something of a minor stain in her spirit if she simply went home caught-red handed by her family's former retainer.

"Hm, I don't know how many students you have. You are probably familiar with them to a point that asking to train under you might not be an option for me, but if it won't impede on your time, may I challenge you to a spar, Shaoling? I could go on and on with questions, but I've no desire to waste your time with idle chit-chat, and there is no guarantee you'll feel comfortable providing an answer to all of them. Seeing you now, honestly? I want to see how well I can hold up, compared to someone with your level of skill and experience."

To be honest, Shaoling could flat out tell her no, and that would be the end of it. Yet, Rio was not at all dishonest about her feelings. She didn't want to take the woman's time for granted, either. If accepted, this was not intended to be a spar out of mere whimsy, in no way comparable to the one that brought her here to begin with. No, she was serious about this.

In truth, this was a request stemming from a genuine desire to see where she needed to improve her own skills. If she truly intended to enlist, why not use it as a stepping stone to recognize what she ought to improve on? The determination in her gaze at least indicated this was a serious matter.